The religious education and collective worship

THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AND COLLECTIVE WORSHIP E-NEWSLETTER From the Doncaster SACRE (Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education) Spring 2013

Welcome to this term’s edition of the Doncaster SACRE e-newsletter. Doncaster SACRE aims to support RE and Collective Worship in all schools by providing up-to-date information about new resources and initiatives. CONTENTS: Page 1 News from the DfE Exemplification of standards in RE levels 1-8

Local Contacts: Sikhism and Islam RE in Special Schools: a good practice resource The Jewish Way of Life Cathedrals Plus Humanism for Schools Life of Pi : free resources for KS5 RE

The Jerusalem Trust Small Grants to Schools Scheme RE Think RE campaign NATRE North of England RE Conference May 2013Religious days and events for your diary

NEWS FROM THE DfE The government has abandoned its plans to replace GCSEs with EBacc certificates. A new broader performance measure for schools (Performance8) allows GCSE RS to count towards school performance alongside the EBacc subjects. RE has been reaffirmed in the new National Curriculum document at every key stage, and in addition is also now included in the Specialist Leader in Education programme by the National College of School Leadership. EXEMPLIFICATION OF STANDARDS IN RE LEVELS 1-8

The NATRE website has assembled these all together for ease of use. Go to and look at the Links menu. LOCAL CONTACTS: SIKHISM AND ISLAM
Planning a trip to the local gurdwara: If you want to plan a school visit to the local gurdwara then Surat Singh is happy to help you with your arrangements. You can contact Surat Singh on 07976 432586. Planning a trip to the local mosque: If you want to plan a school visit to the local mosque then Shaheed Syed is happy to help you with your arrangements. You can contact Shaheed on 01302 862602 e-mail:
RE IN SPECIAL SCHOOLS: A GOOD PRACTICE RESOURCE
Ofsted have published a tried and tested way of planning and teaching RE for pupils with special needs. It addresses many of the concerns expressed by teachers of RE in special schools, about how best to create an approach to RE which meets these pupils’ distinctive needs and values their personal experiences. It can be downloaded here:
THE JEWISH WAY OF LIFE The travelling exhibition The Jewish Way of Life is now available at no cost. It is very useful for educating large numbers of children about Judaism. Contact Sara Younger at the Board of Deputies of British Jews CATHEDRALS PLUS Most cathedrals in the UK – and many abbeys, minster, shrines and greater churches – have someone who is responsible for education, for welcoming school groups into their place of worship and for providing a teaching experience for thousands of pupils every year. There is more information available on the website of Cathedrals Plus – the umbrella organisation for Education Officers as well as those responsible for visitor care. Go to HUMANISM FOR SCHOOLS If you are looking for information, ideas and teaching materials about Humanism, go to Teaching Toolkits investigate some of the Big Questions raised in religious education lessons and provide a humanist perspective for your pupils to consider. Age range 5-16 years. LIFE OF PI: FREE RESOURCES FOR KS5 RE

Damaris has produced free resources to support the use of film in RE/RS lessons with 16-18s. They include two 5-minute film features which explore the questions “What does it mean to be human?” and “Can we decide what to believe?” (encouraging discussion about the nature of truth and the place of logic and reason in Eastern and Western philosophies). A free comprehensive teachers guide provides suggestions for classroom activities and discussion. These resources are available at

THE JERUSALEM TRUST SMALL GRANTS TO SCHOOLS SCHEMEThe Jerusalem Trust supports the teaching of Christianity within religious education by providing schools with up to £500 to purchase resources for Christianity teaching. The scheme is open to both primary and secondary schools, although priority will be given to secondary schools without a religious affiliation. Applications can be made online through their website, and should take no more than 10-15 minutes. If you are interested, go to

RE THINK RE Sign up to the campaign for good RE for every pupil in every school – it will only take a few minutes. Go to NATRE NORTH OF ENGLAND CONFERENCE 18-19 MAY 2013 This is for all teachers of RE in primary, secondary, and special schools. It is generously supported by Culham St Gabriel’s. Enjoy a weekend of shared expertise and good practice. For the schedule of events, workshops, and application details go to:

Compiled by Pat Cassidy, SACRE Consultant, on behalf of Doncaster SACRE. With thanks to AREIAC, NASACRE, REC and RE Today Services where there is information and links from their websites. The information in this newsletter is for teachers and schools to use at their professional discretion. It in no way represents Doncaster LA endorsement of organisations or materials. If you wish for further information and advice, please contact John Duhig, Principal Adviser at or Pat Cassidy at

West Coast Christian School PARENT-SCHOOL CONTRACT IN ORDER TO SOLEMINIFY the desire of the undersigned parties to glorify the Lord with their obedience to Him and to promote a clear understanding of the duties and responsibilities of each party, the undersigned parties adopt the following agreement:I, being the legal parent or Guardian, for and in consideration of, _______________________